She Gives Me Wings
by CocoMingo
Summary: My Malora Week 7/15 – True Love's Kiss Prompt. What goes on in Maleficent's mind the night that her curse plays out, threatening to snatch her one brilliant light in a sea of darkness away?


**Author's Note: has requested I remove the lyrics from Evanescence's "Secret Door" from this fic. I'm always one to play by the rules, so I'm doing so willingly. Please, to appreciate the full effect of this ficlet, listen to Secret Door on any one of the available mediums on the internet while reading. -Coco**

As Diaval galloped across the countryside, Maleficent's heart beat in tandem with his quick hooves as they hit the rocky high way. They drew nearer and nearer the castle with every gait, and the sun crept downwards as if to mock her. It was nearing the horizon, and if it met that line before Maleficent could reach the castle, she was sure her heart would break. Unlike so many years ago, she was resolute that there would not be any coming back from this anguish. If her Aurora wasn't able to wake, she wasn't entirely sure that she wanted to either.

"Faster, Diaval!" she commanded, chest burning with the pain of her runaway heart. Maleficent grasped at where the traitorous organ raced against time itself. She felt as if she couldn't breathe, inhalations as sharp as daggers as her eyes watched the sun passed the nadir of view. A burst of sheer agony rocked the dark faery forward in the saddle as a scream passed her lips. Diaval, connected to her on a magical level, felt the pain as well. He reared with a great screech through his beaky snout.

"It is done," she whispered in defeat as the castle loomed in the distance. Looking backwards to the white stallion behind them carrying the cargo of True Love's Kiss, she grit her teeth. She would not give up on Aurora – she'd caused the girl far too much pain as it was. "Let's go," she murmured, urging Diaval forward with her legs. Onwards they travelled, and though Maleficent was sure the pace was just as fast as before, it felt as if she were underwater. 'So this is how the last moments of your life play out?' she wondered silently.

* * *

><p>Upon reaching Stefan's castle, Maleficent was confident that this was a suicide mission. She felt the hum of iron within, and knew that the King meant to slay her for good. Though she'd attempted to leave Diaval at the door, he'd stubbornly refused to leave her side. It had brought a momentary, gentle smile to her lips that trembled in their sorrow. Tears brimmed in her eyes, threatening to fall. So what if they did? She was here to rescue Aurora, and then take her death readily.<p>

Though she was aware that death by iron was intensely painful, it would be a welcome release of her tormented soul into the hereafter. The spikes along the hallways burned and singed her skin, but she didn't particularly mind the sensations. It wasn't anywhere near the depth of hurt she'd experienced over her lifetime. Mentally, she added the scalds that lined her pristine face before fading to the many things she would suffer this night.

Maleficent would never understand why the heavens would allow Stefan to betray her as he had, only to allow her to curse the one thing she'd ever learn to love in revenge. The heavens must hate her as readily as she hated herself. Her salvation from the darkness – her Aurora – made her feel young again, untouched and unsullied by pain. The girl's innocence and wonder at the world had opened Maleficent's eyes to the joy of living once more. Her smiles had broken down the walls around the faery's black heart, and made it beat once more.

She had realized long ago that she'd never loved Stefan. Knowing that True Love did not exist made her all the more despondent about the situation occurring on this day. Maleficent pondered that_ unconditional love_ might have existed in the heart of Aurora for her before yesterday evening, until the lass had realized that her 'faery godmother' was indeed the same evil and sinister demon that cursed her as a wee babe. The same love ran deep and true in Maleficent's bones for Aurora, and she was here to scream it from the ramparts before falling into eternal slumber upon Stefan's blade.

* * *

><p>From behind the tall dressing screen in Aurora's bedchamber, Maleficent watched with rapt curiosity and bated breath as the nincompoops of pixies that were Knotgrass, Flittle, and Thistlewit tugged Prince Philip into the room. They pushed the boy to readily kiss upon Aurora's petal pink lips, and a fist tightened over her scepter, white knuckles sharp with tension. Jealousy raged forth from her gut and swept her veins, licking through them like white-hot lava.<p>

What was this? She rooted her heels firmly to the stone tiled floor, and resisted the urge to burst forth from her hiding place to shriek her displeasure. A sea of emotions roiled in her, then. How was she jealous of Aurora receiving a kiss from a boy, as a lover would be? Her shoulders ached where her wings would have shuddered, and the phantom feelings mocked and shamed her.

The girl had already given her heart wings, and shock marred her eyes at the realization. Just as quickly, they refocused on the scene playing out before her – Philip's kiss had done nothing. Damn it! What had she been hoping for, after all? _True love did not exist._

The pixies insulted Philip for his attempt and began to drag him out of the chamber, announcing that they would find another to try. Her heart warred with her brain for control, but in the end Maleficent's feet shuffled towards the dais where Aurora's bed lay. Atop it was the picture of purest love that was ever created, and she cringed to look upon her curse's work. She'd silenced this masterpiece of the universe forever, and the tears that had collected for so long began to fall. She'd cursed her only chance at happiness in life to a sleep like death, and how she so wished to join her.

* * *

><p>Unlocking her clenched jaw was harder than Maleficent had ever remembered, but she forced it to do so nevertheless. Hushed words poured forth from her crimson lips as she gripped Aurora's cool hand beneath her own. She did not deserve forgiveness for this, nor would she ask for it. How would she protect the slumbering princess from a line of gentlemen kissing those pert lips for all eternity if she were dead? How could she leave that porcelain face to be caressed by nameless faces if Stefan exacted his revenge upon her? Aurora would go on living, if her eternal sleep was considered living, but Maleficent would die a little more each day.<p>

It was impossible to keep the promises that fell from her lips to Aurora's ears, but she said them anyway in case the Princess could hear her. Not a day would go by in the Summerlands that Maleficent would not miss Aurora's laugh and smile, that much was true. It was also true that she loved the Princess, and had never imagined such a feeling could take hold within her bitter heart. It clenched excruciatingly now, unused to being so full of unrequited affection and undying loyalty.

Knowing that she must face Stefan eventually, and unable to look further upon the glowing perfection that was her Aurora lying so very still, Maleficent's breath hitched. If she survived, she could come back for the Princess. This kiss was not goodbye, as Maleficent stubbornly refused it to be. No matter what happened, the heavens owed her to look upon Aurora's face in the afterlife, for she was about to pay dearly for her crimes against this innocent.

Leaning forward, evidence of her weeping dripped onto one of the Princess' cheeks. She did not deserve to kiss upon the girl's lips – she'd betrayed her love through and through by not revealing sooner who she was. Maleficent had been on the receiving end of non-consensual actions before, and she would never subject Aurora to the same. But perhaps… a kiss on the forehead would not be too much to ask?

* * *

><p>Maleficent's lips barely caressed the smoothness of Aurora's brow, trembling in restraint. If she were killed upon where she stood now, she would have died happy. Rising up, she was not dead but she felt as if it were so. Those around her in the past would have called her heart deadened and cold, but they did not know the anger and fear that had long resided in it because of Stefan's actions against her. Now, love had erased hatred and left nothing in its wake.<p>

Behind her, Aurora's eyes opened to the light. Viewing the back of the person whose kiss had awakened her brought an instantaneous grin to the young woman's face. She had known for so long that this was the one that needed to break the curse, but did not have the words to tell them in her limited knowledge of life and love. Delight coursed through her as she breathed easily once more and murmured, "Godmother."

The tall woman's shoulders hunched as if struck, and she spun slowly to face the voice that had called her. Iced teal eyes rested disbelieving on the newly awake Princess and gasped. "Beastie." It wasn't the words she wished to say, but it would do for the moment. The curse had been broken – _she was Aurora's True Love. _ Maleficent's soul danced in elation as heart and mind worked quickly to come to comprehension, and she snatched Aurora from the bed.

Escape. They must escape. This blameless miracle of a girl was not safe here, and Maleficent refused to leave her. Protectiveness blanketed the faery like a heavy shroud as they crept along the halls once more, now hand in hand. As they came upon the throne room, she released the small, soft hand reluctantly to inspect for danger. Walking forward, she heard a rustle from above and looked up.

Torture. Iron seared through her skin like butter under a hot knife as she reached forward towards her love. The net was heavy, and the pain began to cloud Maleficent's mind and dizzy her eyes. Diaval stood helpless, his face pained as he watched his Mistress stabbed with long pikes. Sounding weak as if she were near death, a whisper came forth and she turned fingers towards him. He sprang into the form of a dragon and began to summarily clear the room of those who sought to hurt his Mistress. At long last, he lifted the net from her. The distraction had allowed the soldiers pouring into the space to circle her in a death match with Stefan and chain the Diaval dragon, but it left some hope that Maleficent might be able to defend herself. Her anguished scream echoed. "Aurora, run!"

* * *

><p>Aurora yelped as the stairwell she'd be standing upon began to crumble. Running upwards, she burst through a hidden door into a room that looked long forgotten. In the center, great brown wings trembled, shook and fought valiantly to escape their glass prison. Throwing off the moth eaten sheet that covered them, she sought to break them free. Loathing put a sour taste in Aurora's mouth as she grimaced. <em>Her father had cut off her True Love's wings. Her father was the evil in this world. <em>

Summoning all of her strength, the Princess toppled the glass cage over. As soon as the box had broken open, the feathered appendages crawled swiftly up and flew out of the room. She followed in haste, and saw them swoop down to where Maleficent stood on the throne's dais. A blinding light shimmered forth when wings met owner, and the faery rose up immediately in exultation. She looked upwards to Aurora's eyes, meeting them with a look of _purest and deepest adoration_.

Stefan noticed this, and battled Maleficent furiously. Aurora curled into a ball and wept in equal amounts of sadness and joy as the faery dragged her father across the throne room's floor and death-spiraled through the stained glass window, flying into the unknown. Once the shards had settled, she jumped down from her perch. Ignoring the protests of her twisted ankle, she raced through the halls to the lower ramparts. _Don't die. You're my True Love. You cannot die, now. _

As Aurora exited the door at the end of the bottom stairwells, she heard the sickening crunch of bone and sinew. Her father the King laid still and dead as a pool of blood widened around him. A scream bubbled to her throat, but she did not release it. Maleficent fluttered down and stood apart, her body heaving with exertion and exhaustion as she unlaced the hot iron chain from her ankle.

Her love was alive. This truth spurred Aurora into action, and she ran across the stone cobbles and into the arms of Maleficent. "Don't leave me! Don't leave me here, I beg you! Take me with you, always," the Princess cried beseechingly.

Maleficent shivered underneath Aurora's firm embrace. "Always, Beastie. Always."


End file.
